RIVERBED CLEARANCE RESUMES; CITY CITES SAFETY CONCERNS.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

Bulldozers resumed their trek Tuesday through the bed of the Santa Clara River's South Fork, clearing vegetation from the waterway in a move that has pitted environmental concerns against public safety issues.

Having received the OK from various state and federal agencies, the heavy machinery is clearing the plant life from the earthen bottom of local riverbeds to ensure flood control channels flow once the rains hit.

``We have been told in very stronglanguage that this work has to be done,'' Santa Clarita Mayor Jo Anne Darcy said. ``It's a matter of potential flooding that could turn disastrous.''

Some Valencia residents whose homes back up to the South Fork had complained about the channel clearing, which began Nov. 11 but was halted when homeowner Alexandra Florimonte stood in front of a bulldozer in hope of saving a wildlife habitat for birds and small mammals.

But the work by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works will continue, said Darcy, an aide to county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

``Time is crucial for us,'' said Keith Tang, a supervising civil engineer with county public works. ``We're trying to beat the weather should a freak rain storm come in.''

When the first Valencia housing tracts were constructed, the county permitted alterations to the South Fork, narrowing the channel and cementing its sides. County officials view the waterway as a means of controlling runoff, while environmentalists argue that it is a riverbed, though altered from its original state.

Nevertheless, over the next few weeks crews will clear plant life from about 15 miles of the South Fork and Castaic Creek.

The two-week job was scheduled to begin Oct. 15, but delayed while the county obtained the necessary permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state Department of Fish and Game and state Regional Water Quality Control Board, Tang said.

A biologist from the state Board of Environmental Review studied the riverbeds before any work was allowed, Tang said.

Federal permits require that the county replace the habitat destroyed for local flood control at a Tujunga preserve.

The county worked in 1997 with the state and federal agencies on a plan to clear riverbeds before the rain season. That year, 50 inches of rain fell in Santa Clarita compared with just 13 inches last winter.

But residents had hoped to reach a compromise, Florimonte said. She said she took drastic action last week to halt the work, complaining that it began on Veterans Day and she had no recourse because public offices were closed. Darcy said crews started on the holiday to make up for lost time.

``They were running so far behind they had to start on the holiday,'' Darcy said.